Fossil Academy
by blaze534master
Summary: What once started as the greatest Academy researching prehistoric life, turned into a survival of the fittest when it all goes wrong. What happened? Why has no one come to help? Find out as the story expands and secrets revealed, as well as the past being dug up. Credit goes to: Wandering Tyrant, Dinoval, and Blaze534master.
1. Chapter 1

"So the boss is telling us to go out again? It's been the third time this week, Erik."

"Yes, did you not hear me the first time?"

"Sassy. What do we need?"

"We're looking for food for the children, stores are running low."

Deborah nodded silently to this, saying nothing at first, before speaking again. "What kind? Meat? A certain crop?"

"We're looking to refill our meat stores, we're also looking for fruit."

Deborah nodded, taking a step over to her safe box to don her uniform. Deborah was an average sized girl, standing at around five foot, five inches. Years of riding had led to her having a more muscular body than most girls, but still had the distincy feminine curves to her hips, waist, and chest. She also wore a small pendant on a leather string. She had a heart shaped face, with large green eyes. Her nose was small, like most girls, and her lips were a thin, straight line created by years of on and off frowning. Her skin was tan, and across the bridge of her nose and cheeks was light freckling. Her hair was Aurburn brown, and normally few fell down to her shoulders. It was tied up into a messy braid at the moment. She wore a rider suit, leathered armor across her shoulders and breast, with a red shirt underneath that covered her midriff and belly. Her elbows and forearms were covered in brown fur wraps, like her shins and knees. She had blue leggings with leather knee guards sewn into them. Across her waist she had a small pouch on the left side, while on the right a machete was strapped in a sheath. On her back he had a large leather backpack. She held her helmet and mask, which hid her face, save for her eyes. Her boots had knife sheaths sewn into them. With her other hand, she absentmindedly stroked the neck of her Deltadromeus, which had stuck it's head into the room from the stable right next to it.

The Deltadromeus was the smallest and thinnest of the three, at twenty eight feet long, but it was also by far the fastest. It's sattled was located upon it's back, with reigns much like the other two. It weighed about a ton, and was around ten feet tall itself due to it's long and powerful legs. It was a bluish coloration, and had light feathering going down it's neck, tail, and arms. It was overall a beautiful creature. It's head was anchored upon a long and strong 'S' shaped neck and was filled with many small but sharp teeth.

Erik was taller than Deborah, standing at five foot eleven. He was tall and lean, built like a runner; fit with sinewy muscle all over his body. He was far from muscular, but not a walking fishbone either. Erik was a fairly looking and sharp individual. His facial features were squared, and neat, with his head having an oblong shape. Not one facial feature looked disproportionate to the rest of his face. He has a sharp jawline, and a chin that blends into it very smoothly. He has a medium-sized mouth with thin lips. His nose being rather streamlined, and small, his nostrils were small and his nose bridge is only slightly thinner than the rest of his nose. He had small and icy blue, piercing eyes. His forehead was large, half the size of his face. A large scar ran down his eyebrow, splitting it near the end. He had short, greasy, and messy brown hair, suggesting an active lifestyle. He had slightly tanned, but dirty skin with minor cuts and scratches. Some bandaged, some not. He had a suit much like Deborah, with black leather armor across his chest and shoulders. Down and across his abdominal and back he had brown, thinner leather armoring that continued downward onto his legs, going over his light green pants and disappearing below his black boots. His forearms were covered in thick brown leather, that ran down and warped into gloves. On top of his left arm a sheath had been sew into the guard. He had a crossbow strapped to his back, right on top of his backpack. On his hip he had a water pouch and a bolt pouch. On the other side, a short sword was strapped to a belt loop.

A large, monster of a beast rested on it's belly outside the small encampment. It was stockier than the other two, with crocodilian like armoring running down it's flanks and back. It had a large reinforced skull and a thick tail, with it's compact body counterbalanced on two huge pillar like legs. It was rust brown, with it's armoring being grey. At the crook of it's neck a saddle rested, and at the end of it's jaws a bar rested, connected to leather reigns. It's thick neck was lifted, watching the three humans with an intense stare. It was covered in faded scars, which had only been healed due to such thick skin. It was thirty five feet in length, the largest of the three, and weighed in at three and a half tons, standing at fourteen feet tall.

Blaze was massive compared to most people, even though he was only seventeen, standing at a hefty seven foot three and weighing over three hundred pounds. He had spiky blood red hair with a spike hanging over his right eye, his skin tone was a dark caramel. He had strong facial features with a set jaw and a medium nose. He wore old black shades that were tinted and opaque, which hid blood red eyes with a scare going from a half inch above his right eyebrow to an inch below his eyelid. He was well built and his muscles were easily defined. He wore a dusty purple T-shirt with a large black 'X' on the chest, pants that were also purple but with red flames near the base of the pant leg. Red and black steel toe boots and finger less red gloves with metal studs on the knuckles finished off his usual outfit. Over his shirt he wore a thick, yet tattered, Camo jacket that covered his neck and arms fairly well. On his back he carried a long double edged sword five feet in length, weighing about 6.2 pounds.

Gorgo was his trusty Vivosaur, they have stuck by each others side through even the toughest of fights. Gorgo was 30 feet long and twelve feet tall weighing in at about 3 tons, he was heavily muscled with a large set of jaws and thick hind legs. Gorgos hide was red with purple swirls here and there, most noticeable of these were the ones around his eyes giving him a mask like appearance. A leather saddle was fit snugly onto his upper back, with reigns attached to a metal bar in it's mouth. It was easily accessible to his rider. His body was covered with numerous white little lines, scars from numerous battles. The very end of his tail was missing and there was a small scar on his right eye, mirroring his riders.

Deborah donned her helmet and walked out, releasing her beast with the other two. Erik himself walked over, stepping onto his gargantuan friend, who stood up with practiced dexterity as Erik placed a foot onto the foot rests of the saddle. He swung onto the saddle and grabbed the reigns. Deborah did the same, steering her Deltadromeus over to her husband's side. She reached into her bag and took out a telescope, handing it over to Erik, who took it gratefully. They wouldn't be able to see anything yet, because of the walls, but once they left the safe haven for their supply run, they'd need it to scout on any high ground they reached.

"So, some fruit, and we need to kill something to death, correct?" Deborah said, a wry smile on her face. Erik cracked a grin and gave a hearty laugh at this.

"New drinking game," He said. "Take a shot every time Debby says two synonymous terms in the same sentence." This caused Deborah to roll her eyes and shake her head, only to tug on her reigns. "Yah!" she said, causing the Deltadromeus to rush onward toward the gate a little ways away. As Deborah departed, Erik looked over to Blaze. "We watch each other's back, yes?" he said. "If you see anything... say something." he said, before he tugged his own reigns, prompting the Daspletosaurus to thunder off after the Deltadromeus at a much slower pace.

Their old partner, Paxton, had been lost not too long ago. Raptors had overwhelmed his Altispinax, which, while the dinosaur itself had been recovered, Paxton had been swallowed by the jungle, as Deborah had put it. Erik was still wary of the runs, and his many bandages remained on his body from his unsuccessful attempt to save his friend. Any direct mention of his name, and Erik would go glassy-eyed, or his expression would harden. He had, for a little while, turned to alcohol in an attempt to drown away his problems, and for a short time he was his normally happy self, but the loss had changed him. He was more serious than ever, and not in a good way.

When the group reached the gate Erik hailed the group of guards posted at the entrance. With a quick wave back from one of the Pteranadon guard, wooden gears and thick rope were sent moving, causing the thirty foot tall doors to open outwards, exposing the group to the wild.

"Let's move." Blaze said urging Gorgo forward. They took off at an even pace so that Daspletosaurus and Gorgo could keep up with the Deltadromeus. They followed the worn path that they, and others before them, had used to find resources. On the way to the openings of the plain not to far away wasn't extremely dangerous, but even still the group kept their eyes and ears open. Thankfully nothing happened as they approached higher ground to oversee the island. Erik pulled the telescope to scout for any large predators and for possible prey.

"See anything?" Deborah asked.

Erik was silent for a moment, but lowered his telescope and pointed towards one direction of the valley. Near that area a mid sized herd of Iguanodon grazed.

"There's something there."

Blaze began to move, turning around to head down the mountain, but a quick "Wait!" from Deborah stopped him. "I see what he's talking about, look, in the tree line!" she said. A trained eye, once given the general vicinity, would've noticed it too.

Red feathers.

"We better play it safe, we don't know what that will-" Erik said, only to be cut off as an absolute monster of an animal exploded from the underbrush. A gargantuan animal, larger than both the Daspletosaurus and Gorgosaurus by far, and probably heavier than both of them combined. It had huge legs covered in knotted muscles that worked like pistons as it ran, it's sheer footsteps could be heard from where the group stood. It had a large tail, half it's body length that was thick and straight. It's back had bright red and yellow feathers running down it. It's compact and wide ribcage that heaved as it sucked in a vast amount of air into it's lungs as it ran. It had tiny arms, and a huge and thick neck that supported a head as large as Erik was tall that had a crown of red and yellow feathers on it. Along it's body it seemed to have a lava crack like pattern that contrasted with it's obsidian black skin. It's huge talons were blood red and ripped the earth as it propelled itself further forward.

It released a hellish sound from it's great maw, like the sound of thunder it echoed through the valley and caused the forest to fall silent, and with the heat of a forest fire it's sheer breath was hot enough to cause the air to radiate and warp near itself.

A Tyrannosaurus Rex.

The most powerful fire type there was. A force of nature incarnate.

The iguanadons panicked, their herd mentality guaranteeing that the majority would survive. But they would rather run from their behemoth than fight it. With practiced strategy the Tyrannosaur separated one of the larger iguanodons from the rest of the herd, most likely an older individual.

It never stood a chance.

The tyrant thundered into the iguanodon like a freight train, it's head arching down and smashing into the poor creature's ribcage, lifting the creature off of it's feet and sending it sprawling several feet away. It attempted to stand again, to try and use the spike on it's foreleg to attempt to survive, but the Tyrannosaur didn't let up for a second. It's ferocity matching it's power. It grabbed the creature by it's back and, showing it's strength, lifted the three ton creature halfway off the ground, and shook it, it's huge teeth tearing into the creature's hide like a hot knife through butter.

Deborah and Erik looked away.

The iguanadon let out a terrified shriek as it was violently ripped apart, and passed quickly, if not painfully. The Tyrannosaur dropped the corpse to the ground, staring at it for a second as if making sure it's dead, before placing a foot on it's flank to hold it down, crushing it's ribs, and tore into it.

The Daspletosaurus rumbled, and Erik turned around. He used the telescope to get another closer look, before passing it down to Deborah, who in turn used it herself for a moment before putting it away.

"I say we wait for it to have it's fill and harvest what's left." Deborah said promptly. "There's no way we could fight that thing. It's probably heavier than all three of our vivosaurus, AND us combined... But there's no way it could eat the whole thing in one go."

"Screw that, while big daddy's away the children will play." Blaze said urging Gorgo forward towards the fleeing shapes of the Iguanodons.

"Don't be an idiot!" Erik shouted. His cries fell upon deaf ears as Gorgo and Blaze raced farther away. Growling in annoyance Erik urged Daspleto to follow the two, Deborah followed closely after. The Herd hadn't moved very far away and were beginning to settle down once again before hearing and seeing a Gorgosaurus running full speed towards them. Gorgo roared as it neared the herd, it's instincts kicking in as it searched for the weakest.

"Try to steer the herd," Erik shouted from atop his Daspletosaurus, his sword raise high in the air to signal Deborah and Blaze. "We have to get them as far away from the T. Rex as possible!" He shouted. It could've claimed this area as it's territory, and the last thing he wanted to do was challenge it. The Deltadromeus, while about the same size as the Iguanodon, was much more lightly built and moved faster because of it. It snapped at the Iguanodon to keep them in line, while the Daspletosaurus, being the slowest of the three, kept the tail end of the herd together and from dispersing.

Blaze and Gorgo were in the center of the heard searching for an old bull to take out. It's sheer size would be able to feed quite a few Vivosaurs and people back at the village. The six of them were able to steer the herd farther away from the which increased their chances of success. Gorgo roared once again scaring the iguanodon that got too close, just as some moved away Blaze saw it, an old bull near the head of the herd.

"I found a bull! He's at the front of the herd! Gorgo and I are going to try and separate him!" Gorgo sped up slightly, pushing his way past any iguanodon that got too close to reach the bull. It was easily the same size as Gorgo and possibly heavier, a good catch indeed. Erik and Deborah steered the herd towards the treeline where it was thick enough to stop the larger Iguanadons from escaping. The young would survive until next hunt. As Gorgo drew ever closer to his fleeing prey he tried to bite down on it's tail, though it was just out of reach from his jaws.

Blaze urged Gorgo to go faster, they were so close to their prey. With a final burst of speed Gorgo had managed to latch his jaws onto it's tail. The Iguanodon cried out in pain but continued to run.

"We got him! Deborah! Come along the side!" Gorgo began to slow down pulling the large bull male with him. The Gradual slow along with the Deltadromeus's speed allowed Deborah to catch up in a matter of seconds. The Deltadromeus roared and snapped at the iguanodons neck, catching on and biting down, but keeping up it's run. The herd began to disperse as they were no longer being corralled into the treeline. The iguanodon was forced to move even slower, but because of it's size, it's momentum kept it forward. "Release!" Deborah yelled, prompting Blaze to have his Gorgosaurus release it's tail. She tugged on her own reigns, silently commanding her Deltadromeus to pull downward. With the sudden weight on release the Iguanodon surged forward, but with the downwards pull, it surged straight into the ground. Deborah, to prevent the serious injury of herself and her Delta, pulled harshly on the reigns and forced the Delta to release the Iguanodon, which hit the ground and rolled over itself.

As it attempted to get up and escape despite having what could possibly be several broken bones, it never saw the Daspletosaurus coming from the other side. Erik's Daspletosaurus had managed to catch up and, using it's great mass, pinned the Iguanadon to the ground by throwing it's body up against the ornithopod.

With nowhere to go, and it's main weapon of defense pinned to the ground, the Gorgo and Deltadromeus made short work of the bull once it was on the ground, with the Gogosarus helping it's fellow Tyrannosaurid by locking it's jaws down on the Iguanodon's shoulder, and the Deltadromeus using it's sharper teeth to rip open the soft tissue of the throat, Deborah herself leaning off of her saddle and using her machete to speed up the process. It bled to death within a few minutes, and the two Tyrannosaurids relaxed off of the creature's corpse.

"Good job guys," Deborah said, swinging her blade towards the ground to fling excess blood off of it.

"Let them eat for a moment." Blaze said. "Big daddy either hasn't noticed yet or doesn't care." he finished. Erik's gaze hardened for a minute, but he proceeded anyway, relaxing the reigns and letting his Daspletosaurus gorge itself for a few minutes. The other two doing the same.

"I'll grab a leg, you do the same, Blaze." Erik said. "Deborah, you make due with whatever you can. Go for the liver if they haven't gotten to it already." he said, before leaning back as the Daspletosaurus and Gorgosaurus reared at each other, hissing and growling with what looked like a rib or two clenched between their jaws. The Daspletosaurus, having larger and thicker teeth, eventually broke it's piece off, accidentally letting the Gorgosaurus win the power struggle. It snarled, and took a step over the corpse to go at it's relative, but was swiftly pulled away by Erik, who had bunched up the reigns and pulled hard against it.

"I think that's enough." Erik said, relaxing the reigns and letting the Tyrannosaurid have it's freedom of movement back. He directed it to the leg of the Iguanodon, and the Daspletosaurus, having done this many times before, knew what to do and automatically bit down. It didn't have the strength to simply rip it off, or bite clear through the femur like a T. Rex did. It needed a bit more leverage than that. Planting one of it's huge feet on it's flank, it pulled. After a terrible tearing sound, followed closely by a loud pop, the corpse was liberated of a once very important and muscular limb.

Deborah's Deltadromeus had gone digging into the corpse, with Deborah cutting a few organs free. The heart, which was originally going to be harvested, had already vanished down the Deltadromeus' gullet. Leaving her to have to claim the liver alone. She, with a distinct lack of trust in her steed, allowed it to carry the large organ in it's maw and arms.

"We'll have to collect bananas and oranges on the way home." Blaze commented as his Gorgosaurs, with some help from the Daspletosaurus applying it's weight to it's flank in order to aid in the dismemberment.

"Or we could count on the others picking up enough to cover for us," Deborah commented. "Because we have covered plenty of meat." she said. "I'm sure the group with the raptors figured something out."

"Maybe one more Iguanodon should do it, if we can land one." Blaze said, unsure.

In the distance, something unleashed it's hellish sound again.

"I don't think our vivosaurs can carry any more than one leg at a time." Erik added, a little too quickly. Obviously in some fear for his and his friend's lives. He didn't want to take that risk yet. Better to either drop these off or call it a day from here. The smell of blood would no doubt lead the Rex in their direction, among other things. He wanted the full strength of the camp to back them up in the event of a T. Rex attack. "Lets move," Erik finally said. "Quickly, we have no time to spare. Big Daddy can probably smell the blood."

"That's my thing!" Blaze complained before Urging Gorgo to rip off as much meat as he could carry. They quickly headed back to their village, bringing enough meat to last four days. They were nearly at the entrance to the thick jungle, and the game trail that lead to the village. Just as they were about to enter they heard a deafening roar behind them. The T. Rex was a few yards away looking at the group with ferocity in it's eyes. Blood was dripping from it's massive jaws, whether it finished the Iguanodon or came to protect it's territory was unknown.

The Pteranadon guards flew into action at this point, being close enough to provide support to the group. Six riders, five of which rode Pteranadon, the sixth riding a Quetzalcoatlus. The five bombarded the Tyrannosaur, their claws and beaks scraping the flustering Tyrannosaur. While not very damaging, they provided a distraction. They all separated, just in time for the huge Quetzalcoatlus to dig it's huge talons into the base of the Tyrannosaur's head, and with it's massive wings, flapping, hooked in and pulled the tyrant forward, hurting it more in a way that prevented it from using it's head to bite back. The Tyrannosaur's weight kept it grounded however, and when the Quetzalcoatlus tired, it threw it's head to the side, sending the much lighter creature off in that direction. The skilled pilot was able to recover from the stall, and directed his vivosaur upwards to the skies. The Tyrannosaur, with an angry and pain roar turned around and thundered back off from where it came, rather than risk something important like an eye being caught by a claw.

The six of the guard quickly disappeared onto the other side of the gate, which was opened seconds after. "Get in before it changes it's mind!" Erik yelled, waving Deborah and Blaze in before following after them. When the gate closed behind them, their vivosaurs dropped whatever flesh they were carrying for the people not far away to run and transport away to be stored.

"Another hard days work for the good of the people right?" Blaze asked humorously. Erik shot a quick glare before urging Daspletosaurus over to the nearby stables, Deborah by his side. Blaze followed silently shortly after. After putting their vivosaurs to rest after another hard days work Erik turned on Blaze.

"What were you thinking out there!?" Erik suddenly demanded, harshly throwing his suit into his locker and slamming it shut, turning to look over at the mountain of a man.

"I was thinking they would have been too distracted by it's own kill to come after three other predators who weren't even near it or it's kill." Blaze responded.

"You put the whole group in danger. You should have known better than to just have rushed in there, we could have waited for it to finish before we went for the herd."

"They could have moved away by then! We didn't lose anyone and no one was even hurt! As far as I'm concerned this was a success even if we didn't get any fruit!"

"It isn't all about what you think! It's about what we think! We are a team! You seem to forget that sometimes!" Blaze remained silent at that.

"We have animals with some of the most powerful senses of smells to ever exist," Erik continued. "And they've hunted Iguanodon before." he said. "You two... you two are my whole world. I can't lose you like I lost Paxton. The Tyrannosaurus nearly had us, and even with the three of us all working together we probably wouldn't have beaten that thing." he said.

Erik turned and stalked away without another word, Deborah however, having been a few paces away, removed her helmet, and released her bun. She shook her head for a moment to let her hair fall free to her shoulders before looking over to Blaze, her eyes scanning his hulking figure for a moment.

"I want you to promise me something, Blaze."

There was a momentary silence, before Blaze looked over to the woman.

"Yes?"

Deborah looked him over again. "Don't scare him again like that... I kept him together through Paxton's passing. If he lost you or me..." she trailed off. She looked away back down to her helmet, before hanging it up inside her locker, along with most of her armor. Blaze turned to the wall of the stable and punched it. He grit his teeth in slight pain before calming himself.

"It's all for the good of the people." He told himself.

"See you tonight? I'm pretty sure you owe Erik an ale." Deborah said, crossing her arms and turning back to look to her large friend. "Plus I recovered a pack of cards on one of our last runs, 'been looking for a chance to use it. Anyone ever teach you how to play a game of Texas Hold'em?"

"No, I was born on the island, never knew what playing cards were as a kid."

"Well I mean so was I," Deborah said. "My ma' taught me when I was younger. We'll play for fun the first few rounds, then we'll make it interesting if you're up for it." she said, shooting a knowing smirk in his direction. "Unless you're afraid of being beaten by a girl."

"Bring it on!" He growled.

She laughed heartily. "I look forward to it then." she said, locking up her locker and giving one last stroke to her Delta in goodbye before leaving the large man for the time being, until that night.

-Enter, Silver-

Wind rushed over a Thalassodromeus wings as it sliced through the air on eight meter wings. The crouching rider on its back took on the gale with practiced ease, her worn tweed jacket flying out behind her.

The rider is immediately recognizable as not human. Her skin is leaden gray and twin nine inch steel blades protrude from her right hand. Silver"s height of five foot four is dwarfed by the expanse of her Thalasso"s wings. The saddle she employs uses straps to tether her calves to her mount, just another difference she and the rest of her species developed from humans. Silver is a Kedamono, a species given birth by the Seeds of Life sewn by the Dinaurians many eras ago.

Silver is five four, dwarfed for her age. She wears a worn mustered tweed jacket over a stained white shirt and torn denim pants when outside her territory. Other than her height, she has an overly average build with a rather eerie lack of anything defining, causing her height to be brought up a lot. Has lead gray skin. She wields a halberd with a five foot shaft and a nondescript steel blade that totals eight inches when paired with the tip.

The species she is part of has no given scientific name as of yet; they have taken up the title of Kedamono. Kedamono see humans as on par with Vivosaurs, just another invasive species that are more difficult to hunt/farm than the depleting native fauna. Most Kedamono clans live in highlands and have a ceasefire with human villages near them.

Silver acts as a liaison of sorts between humans and Kedamono for her clan, traveling around to nearby villages on her Thalassodromeus to keep them in check. Her demeanor on the outside is generally friendly and she makes friends easily, which is why she was chosen for her role in her clan. On the inside she rather cold and calculating due to having seen so many deaths of her people. As no one has a perfect mask, sometimes she can be caught frowning when alone. Silver will not hesitate to send one of her "friends" to their deaths if they become useless to her or her clan, though she will not publicly attack.

Silver huffed at the absolute chaos ensuing below. 'Angered a Rex. Genius.' She directed the Thalasso down into the human village below. 'This had better be where she said.' After landing her mount she made her way to a small group for the planned meeting.

"Welcome! Silver, i'm glad your tribe was so generous as to allow you to join our ranks, we appreciate it." The tall armored brunette said. "Recently we lost one of our best members in our best hunting squad. So we have an important position to fill if you are willing."

"Of course, I would be honored." Silver bowed with her statement. In truth her clan wanted a mole in the human world.

"Great! My name is Jasmine by the way. The team your working with barely just got back, I assume you saw them with the chasing them from your ride huh? Anyway they usually go to the town bar after completing a hunt. So you can wait at the station while we get you all set up before meeting them. Did you get a good look at them while flying here?" She asked.

"Are THOSE fools the ones I'll be working with?!" Silver laughed, "I hope I can bring some sense into them."

Jasmine laughed loudly at that.

"They do seem out of sorts at times but believe me they are some of the best hunters out there, as well as the best team in our village. You'll get used to the way they do things, if not come find me and i'll help you out." She said winking.

"Thanks, I'll be sure I do. Is there anything else I can do for you?"

"No just joining the team is enough for me, your first hunt is going to be with them tomorrow, so rest as much as you can today, you're going to need it all to survive them, never mind the Vivos." Jasmine said with a barking laugh, "Come on, i'll let you know when it's time to meet your new team."


	2. Training Day

Next chapter for Fossil Academy, hope you enjoyed the first, anyway as the story goes on more and more hints to the past will be brought up along with new characters and Vivosaurs. We thank you for reading this and hope you will follow till the end.

It was a warm night out today, but like with any tropical island, even when the sun fell the humidity in the air kept the warmth up several degrees higher than what it should be. The bugs were out, and in the night the distant howls of Kryptosaurs could be heard, most likely stalking prey of some sort.

The firelight of the village that illuminated the land however, was still out. Filled with activity and relaxation that couldn't be done during the day. It was quiet, but also loud. An odd combination of the two. The captive vivosaurs were sound asleep, and most of the children were in bed, but the adults, at least the younger ones, were enjoying themselves whether it be drowning their sorrows or spending time with friends.

The riders were one of these groups.

"Full house." Debby said, laying her cards down on the wooden table, causing Erik and Blaze to cringe, then fold seeing as they had been beaten yet again. Debby smiled and pulled the last of their chips to her side of the table. Erik took a good long swig of his mead, and the plopped the empty mug on the table.

"I still think she's cheating..." Blaze grumbled as he too drank from his mug.

Erik said nothing, instead he simply shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose. He was, for lack of better wording, one hundred and ten percent done with his wife's shenanigans. "I married a fucking raptor!" He suddenly shouted, causing the small group that had gathered around them to laugh.

"What, am I a clever girl?" Debby said, wiggling her eyebrows at the suggested double eintendre Jurassic Park reference. Despite the fact that she had never seen the movie, her mother made the joke all the time.

"Fuck this noise." Erik said, laughing a little bit and standing up. "Have fun beating B's ass over here. I'm going to go beat some guy in mud wrestling or something." he said, wandering off to, more than likely talk with Silver or do what he said he was going to do, just because it was less effort and he was kinda buzzed at the moment. The woman had been new to the gang, still getting acclimated to their brazen way of having to do things. More than likely a member of Pterosaur Guard, as she knew how to fly.

"Hey don't leave me here with her!" Blaze cried. Though he had grasped the concept of the game fairly quickly there were still a few things he did not know. Debby was eating him alive faster than any T. Rex could, and he didn't want to stay for more. Deborah leaned over to see past Blaze's huge frame to see Erik making his way over to Silver. She looked over to the broke-ass Blaze, and smiled.

"No more cash to put in the pot, it looks like." she said, sticking her tongue at him. "Ah well. What do you say we go and mess with Erik and his little girlfriend." she said, standing up from her seat, seeing as most of the group that had formed around them to spectate was now dispersing.

"It's better than getting robbed again." Blaze grumbled. He stood up and followed her.

"Hey man, it was your challenge!" she said, walking onward and keeping in pace with Blaze, slipping past him at the last moment to drape her arms around Erik's shoulders. "You breath smells like beer and you look like sex." she said. Erik's whole body visibly stiffened at the alien touch, and relaxed some when he heard the voice of the owner.

"Your tolerance must've gone DOWN if my breath is getting you drunk." he sniped back. He looked over to Silver for a moment, then back to Deborah and Blaze.

"You guys haven't met her yet, have you?" he questioned suddenly, smacking himself on the head. "Guys, this is Silver. Silver, this is Deborah, my wife, and Blaze, my best man." he said, introducing the three to each other. "She's... uh..." Erik trailed off.

"She's taking Paxton's place." Debby said, connecting the dots.

"No one could replace him." Blaze said with a slight growl.

Deborah lifted her foot and stomped, heel first, onto Blaze's closest foot. A clear message of 'don't-fucking-say-that-to-the-new-kid-or-so-help-me-god'. Blaze winced and remained silent. "You have some big shoes to fill," Deborah said, stepping back from Erik and putting her hands on her hips and looking her up and down. "But I think you got the stuff. It'll be nice having another girl on the team." she said.

"Oh yeah, really, there's more than enough estrogen to go around already, lets add MORE to the mix." Erik said, looking over his shoulder to his wife, who promptly and soundly socked him in the chest. "Violence!" Erik said, throwing his arms up in the air and rubbing the sore spot on his pectoral muscle. Debby rolled her eyes and leaned over, kissing him on the cheek. Erik sighed, and then turned around a bit more on his stool so he faced the other three. Deborah pulled up a stool herself to sit down and talk to Silver here, maybe learn a thing or two. She leaned back against the bar, with her shoulder blades resting against it and her arms resting on the bar table itself. She was the only one of the four, by far, who had enough spunk to pull that shit off and not look like an idiot.

"So whats your position in our merry little village?" Deborah asked Silver.

Silver huffs, "Position here?" She points with both hands to the leaden gray skin on her face. "I am what you humans call a Kedamono! I am here to kill you all!" She screeches a sound right out of a horror movie before laughing. "Just kidding. I am here as a newbie for the Pteranadon Guard."

"Race doesn't matter here, but it is nice to have someone else with a sense of humor in this group" Erik said chuckling.

"Hey I make jokes too." Blaze grumbled. "Either way it's nice to meet you Silver, sorry if I made you feel out of place for what I said earlier."

"No prob. Blaze, is it? I've heard of you. You have created quite a following in my clan. Red eyes and what. You're similar to us for a human."

"Never thought I would have a little fan club of my own. Eat it Erik!" He said laughing heartily.

"Yeah yeah, it still won't help you get a girlfriend." Erik said with a smirk. Blaze growled at him for that.

"Ignore them Silver, so what village are you from?" Deborah asked.

"I normally reside in my clan in the *insert name here* highlands. I take all of you live here?" She smirks. "It sucks to not have a Pterasaur."

The group laughed at that.

"Blaze's fat ass couldn't ride a Hatzegopteryx, and Erik is scared of heights!" Deborah teased. "Me? I like ground based Vivosaurs, there's just a certain feel for them you know? Even still flying in the air must feel pretty cool, how do you do it?" She asked.

"I could show you sometime if you like." Silver jerks her thumb towards the door. "I sorta parked on the roof."

"Don't let the bartender hear that, or else he'll charge you for it!" Deborah laughed. She leaned forward a little before giving Silver a kind smile. "How do you keep your hair in place when flying? Anything you use to keep it in place?"

The Kedamono reached into the leather pouch around her waist and removed a smaller drawstring pouch. It reveals a small clump of clay when opened. "Well, my hairs already gray," she whispers, "Why not make it worse, eh?"

"Interesting, I don't think I can pull off the grandma look yet though, I'll probably use some if I ever start flying," Deborah giggled, "Got any cute boys in your village that you've got your eyes on?"

"Nah, can"t risk it with this job."

Blaze leaned on the wall behind Silver, listening intently to what was going on. He shot a glance at Erik as the girls began to converse about trivial things. Erik's eyes met Blaze's for a moment, and they both shed a tear of male pride for their fallen brotherhood, being overcome by sisterhood. Irish green met blood red and for a brief moment Erik wondered what the hell kind of mutation occurred in Blaze's chromosomes that made him red eyed and the size of Andre the Giant.

Trying to tune out as much of the girls, 'gossip' as possible, the two men decided to order another round of drinks, in a vain hope that it would cease their constant talking. Blaze received his first, then Erik, who had ordered a honey mead over the regular. Blaze sighed as he took a large gulp from his drink, being as large as he was lessened the effects of alcohol, meaning he had to drink more to be properly drunk. Silver seemed like a nice girl, but they didn't know what she could do in the field as of yet. Blaze himself would be in charge of testing what she was capable of doing. Though he didn't like the suddenness of the new member, having a scout would be immeasurably important to the team. A pterasaurs eye view is just what the heavy grounded team was missing.

"Erik, Deborah, I'll see you two later, I need to get home and look after my baby sister." Blaze said finishing off his drink.

Erik nodded to his friend and razed his mug to his friend. "To another hard day's work tomorrow, friend." He said.

"Tell her I said good night!" Deborah called after him.

"Sure thing!" Blaze said waving back at his friends.

-Intermission to the next morning-

The next morning, Erik and Deborah woke up at the generous time of 4:30 AM. They always did this, the both of them. Ever since they'd gotten married, and even before then, they had fallen into the habit of waking up early (especially so on days where they had mild hangovers, as they always seemed to get better workouts in then). They tended to leave Blaze alone in this, as the fatass of a man probably wouldn't appreciate them waking him up when it was still nearly dark out (he'd run into stuff with his shades on [Seriously where the fuck did he even get those]), but today was a special day.

Today was the day they bitch-slapped Silver into reality.

Training day.

Erik, being himself, broke into Silver's temporary home, Deborah deciding to wait outside for the fresh meat and her husband to exit the building. Erik, having been long since trained in the art of not only not being an idiot but also being expertly good at breaking into things, was able to make short work of this. His entrance into the building was near record time.

As he wandered through, looking for Silver's quarters, he picked up one of the ceramic plates from the kitchen, of the building, and when he eventually found Silver's place of slumber, he gazed upon her, his adept eyes going over her features for a moment. "So cute... It would be a shame if I..." he said, leaning his arm back and throwing a fastball-plate against the wall, smashing it with a sharp sound followed shortly by the loud clattering of the pieces falling to the ground.

"WAKE HER UP!" He said, shouting at her from the foot of her bed. "Up and at-em, rise and shine sleeping beauty, let's move it." he said, ripping her blanket off of her bed.

Silver twitched at the crash but it was not until the blanket had been ripped away did she scream, and fall off the bed. "What the fuck human!"

Erik looked her over for a moment and his expression turned to a practiced and hardened glare. "Stand up, get dressed, and meet us outside by the stables ASAP. Today's the day we make sure you're worth keeping on the team." he said, turning around and promptly leaving the room, but not without kicking something, one of the few chairs in the room over for good measure.

"Fucking humans. All pervs..." Silver did as commanded but not without gripe.

As Silver trudged to the stables, her eyes tired and still adjusting to the twilight, she met both Erik and Deborah, who seemed to have weight vests on. Deborah, seeing Silver, approaching, picked up a bundle on the group and tossed it to her almost effortlessly. When she caught it, she nearly collapsed under it's weight. A thirty pound weight vest.

She glared at it. "The actual hell is this?"

Deborah stepped forward. "Welcome to training day, maggot!" she shouted, almost a little too happily. "The first and most important, if not the most painful day of your miserable, salamander shit life!" she said, throwing her arms up into the air in celebration. "Put the vest on, we're going on a run. We wont make you do anything we cant. So get moving. We're burning daylight and we have all day to ruin your body." she said. Erik laughed at this. "It's tradition. Welcome to hell." he added in.

"You guys didn't think I'd miss initiation day did you?" Blaze chuckled as he walked over to the group.

"Well shit man, I didn't think you'd remember to wake up." Erik said, walking over to his friend and clasping his hand in a bro-hug. "Your vest is where you left it."

"Alright, and I didn't remember, my little sister reminded me." He said heading inside the stable.

"For today, you are going to be named Private Snowball. You will respond to Private Snowball, and you will accept your name until we decide otherwise. Got it?" Deborah said as Silver dawned her weight vest. "First a warm-up. One lap around the encampment. All five miles." she said. "You ready, Private Snowball?"

'Private Snowball' narrowed her eyes further before nodding stiffly and adjusting the halberd on her back.

"Alright, lets hustle. I see you walking, you'll regret it." Deborah said, pushing Silver forward into a jog, and following up close behind her. Five miles was a tough run, being more than five kilometers, and with an extra thirty pounds it was even worse. Erik and Deborah had been generous though and had refrained from making her run in the heat of the day.

As they ran, Erik and Blaze stayed behind them, showing no signs of difficulty or tiredness despite the distance and the weight. They were even holding a conversation as they ran. Deborah was in the same state, but she was silent as she jogged, watching Silver. Being six inches taller than the girl at 5'9, she loomed over her.

"Private Snowball!" she said as she ran up beside the Kedamono. "How tall are you and how much do you weigh?!"

Having done everything before now to avoid conversation, Silver growls at the thought of having to hold a conversation and jog at the same time. "Five four. One hundred twelve."

"Five-foot-four, hundred and twelve?!" Deborah yelled back. "I didn't know they stacked shit that high!" she yelled into Silver's ear. "Do I see you walking Private Snowball? Are you tired? Do you want a break?!"

"Shut it or I'll slash your throat out!" Silver made a loosely aimed slash at Deborah with the twin blades on her right wrist.

"Oh shit! We got a fighter over here boys! Kick it up a notch Snowball!" Deborah said, simply taking a step to the side to evade the slash.

Powered by rage, Silver sprinted shortly in attempt to distance herself.

"Happy feet over here!" Erik shouted, jogging forward to catch up with Deborah before the woman grunted and jogged after her, keeping a stable distance.

After another mile and a half, everyone, even Deborah, Blaze, and Erik were somewhat tired. Silver looked like she was going to collapse if she slowed down for a moment. Seeing this, Deborah decided to give her some motivation.

"Ever been laid, Private Snowball? Do your chicken shit males have two dicks or something?"

Unable to talk, daggers of death are instead fired at Deborah. 'I. Am. Going. To. Watch. You. BURN.'

"I bet you were pretty good at sucking dick wherever you're from! That true Private Snowball?!"

"Yeah, I bet you could suck a golf ball through a garden hose Private Snowball. Use that sucking ability and get some air in your lungs." Deborah said after a few seconds of no response.

That does it and Deborah got a halberd shaft to the crotch.

Deborah remains okay because she has not testicles, but was slowed by the sudden force against her. Being larger and heavier than Silver, she bowled into the girl, knocking her over and tripping over her body as she did so. She rolled with the trip, not coming out on her feet because it was sloppy and unplanned, but overall okay. Erik and Blaze jogged up to them, slowing down to watch.

"What the fuck was that, Private Snowball?"

"Sweet... sweet revenge," she responded between breaths as she hauled herself to her feet. "You should... try it... sometime."

"I like your spunk, Silver." Deborah said, finally referring to her as her real name, walking over and helping her up. "Give Blaze your vest. His fat ass can carry it the rest of the way. It took balls to pull that shit, even if you sucked said shit at pulling it."

"Take it, human." Silver sheds the weigh and chucks it at him. "You're no idol to me."

"You better flush that shit out of your head right now, Snowball." Deborah said, wrapping her arm around Silver's neck and leaning on her shoulders, nearly choking her, and pointing with her free hand to Erik and Blaze.

"That one is my husband, and out team leader," she said, pointing to Erik. "And that giant is carrying your shit so you don't have to." she said, then pointed to herself. "I am the only person on this team that knows exactly what you are going through at any and all times, AKA yours best friend even if you don't realize it yet," she said, and then motioned to the three of them. "And ALLLLLL THREE OF US," she said, "Are going to be the only ones that are going to watch your back and make sure you're not torn apart by a pack of raptors." she finished.

"You wont always be in the air." Blaze added in.

"Alright everyone, get a move on. It's nearly five thirty AM." Erik said, before grabbing Deborah's arm and pulling her off Silver. "Get moving, both of you."

"Heh. Never trust the job description." Silver refits her halberd and continues with a slight spring in her step, being unused to running without the weight vest; she felt much lighter and was able to keep on pace with the other three with relative ease.

"Not bad for your first practice rookie, better get some food into your system though, the day is still young! We got a lot of work today!" Blaze said with a large smile. "I'll meet you guys at the gate in an hour, I have to take care of something right quick." He took Deborahs and Eriks vests with him to the stables.

"Alright Snowball you heard him, go get some grub and meet us at the gate."

Silver growled but left to go find some food to eat.

"Don't eat too much or we'll have to restock everything!" Erik teased.

"Ha ha! I'm not fat!" Blaze shouted back. Blaze disappeared into the stables as Silver walked off into the village. Erik and Deborah walked over to the gate to chat with a few guards. An hour passed with Silver, Erik, and Deborah waiting on Blaze. The heavy thudding footsteps of three large predators and the wing beats of a pterasaur signaled Blazes arrival.

"Took you long enough to get here. How much did you eat this time?" Deborah asked.

"Just because I eat a lot doesn't mean i'm fat." Blaze said sourly releasing the reigns of Daspleto and Delta. They went to their respective owners as well as the Thelasso.

"So what's on the agenda today?" Erik asked.

"Oh you'll find out real soon." A wide smile grew on Blazes face. He refused to give specifics and signaled for the guards to open the gate. "Let's ride." The gates opened slowly and the four strode out. Silver flew high over the trees but kept her new team in sight at all times as they slowly made their way to the clearing where the usual hunt takes place.

"Why couldn't they have been flyers?" she asks. Meanwhile Blaze could not keep a smile off of his face.

"Come on you have to at least give us a hint of what you have planned." Erik pried.

"Fine, we're going to the fall at the very edge of the plain, larger predators can't get there and there's nothing in the water so it'll be a safe climb." He said with a smirk.

"That's just evil! I love it!" Deborah smirked as well. The three carnivores stomped their way through the plain, herds of herbivores avoiding their bulk. They would be safe for now, they wouldn't need to hunt until they had finished. It wasn't eight minutes later until they had reached the waterfall.

"Alright! Silver! Get down here!" Blaze shouted upwards getting off of Gorgo. Silver slowly landed in front of them, hopping off of her Thallaso.

"What is it human?" She growls.

"We are going to be having a quick team building exercise. I know you don't trust us and you probably don't like us. But that has to change, the sooner the better! SO! We are going to climb upwards as a team, until we reach that branch up there holding that apple." Blaze said pointing to a bright red apple on a branch halfway up the waterfall.

"Are you insane? What happens if we fall?" Silver asked.

"Well we fall and die a miserable death. We fall in the water and try again. The water is deep enough so we can't get hurt if we fall, there's nothing inside to hurt us either."

"We did this the first time, we got halfway before falling." Erik said reminiscing.

"Come on private snowball, scared you'll get your hair wet?" Deborah taunted.

"I've been wanting to go for a swim for a while anyway. Let's go." Erik pulled off his shirt and waited for the others.

"Come on, you're going to be working with us for a while, might as well get to know you can trust us." Blaze said pulling off his shirt as well.

"Why do I feel this is going to end very poorly?" Silver said gravely.

Next time on Dragon ball Z!


End file.
